The Hub - Building Partnerships to Reduce Crime (BPRC) Initiative

Brief Description

Building Partnerships to Reduce Crime (BPRC) is a cross-government approach that aims to reduce crime, victimization and create safer and healthier communities by addressing crime prevention, intervention and suppression. The partnerships consist of nine ministries and eight police services including the RCMP. The Hub^Footnote1 and Centre of Responsibility (COR)^Footnote2 models that have been created from the BPRC approach bring the necessary community partners together to address the unique needs of individuals and families facing acutely elevated levels of risk.  There are currently 12 Hubs in Saskatchewan.

Goals

The overall goal of BPRC is to reduce crime in Saskatchewan by using a risk-driven crime reduction partnership approach. The combined approach, efforts, expertise, information, intelligence and resources of the justice system and human services system contribute in deliberate and cooperative ways, to address the full spectrum of crime reduction: prevention, intervention and suppression. The overall focus of this approach is on reducing victimization and improving community safety outcomes. Community safety and crime reduction efforts will be owned and led by the community, built upon community strengths and supported by local and provincial leadership.

Clientele

The clientele for the BPRC initiative are communities whose individuals and families are affected by local crime issues.

Core Components

The program components of the BPRC include the following:

• Intervention: Services such as substance abuse treatment, education and employment are used to change behaviour and the environment in a manner that mitigates the risk factors that lead to victimization and offending;
• Prevention: Information, public education, social supports and other activities engage individuals at risk of victimization or offending and reduces the potential for crime and disorder; and
• Suppression: Uses the law to deter and control crime. This includes surveillance, arrests, prosecution and incarceration.

Implementation Information

Some of the critical elements for the implementation of this program or initiative include the following:

• Organizational requirements: For successful implementation, BPRC must be able to secure partnerships with community services and stakeholders, and must build their strategy with the community’s strengths and ownership.
• Partnerships: BPRC partnerships are formalized under a project charter which includes eight of Saskatchewan’s largest police services as well as the human service Ministries of Social Services, Justice, Corrections, Policing, Government Relations, Education, Advanced Education, Employment, Immigration, Parks, Culture and Sport and Health.
• Training and technical assistance: The various trainings and technical assistance used in BPRC include: training in formative, summative, internal (in-house), external (consultant/independent), quantitative and qualitative reasearch and evaluation; social return on investment; E-Learning; training manuals; and changes to regulations regarding information sharing.
• Risk assessment tools: Limited information on this topic.
• Materials & resources: Extensive consultation and research components of the future of Policing Project, “A Province –wide Policing Strategy to Reduce Crime, Build Safe Communities, and Secure the Future for Saskatchewan” 2010, was the precursor to this initiative.  The BPRC approach was created and developed through inter-ministerial consultation and decision making.  Following Cabinet endorsement and approval, BPRC launched into action planning, implementation and staff recruiting.The “Risk-Driven Collaborative Intervention:  A preliminary Impact Assessment of Community Mobilization Prince Albert’s Hub Model” by Dr. Chad Nilson, Inaugural Research Fellow, Centre for Forensic Behavioral Science and justice Studies, was announced publicly in May 2014.  The report’s findings and recommendations were utilized as a knowledge development tool for the Hub replication and practice, as well as training material in the Saskatchewan BPRC Online Hub Training Course.

International Endorsements

The most recognized classification systems of evidence-based crime prevention programs have classified this program or initiative as follows:

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: Not applicable.
• Crime Solutions/OJJDP Model Program Guide: Not applicable.
• SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Not applicable.
• Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy: Not applicable.

Gathering Canadian Knowledge

Canadian Implementation Sites

As of 2018, twelve community mobilization Prince Albert or “Hub” initiatives are operational, with an additional three communities in stages of exploration, development and implementation.The 12 operational Hubs in the province are located in: La Ronge, Prince Albert, Nipawin, Melfort, Saskatoon, Weyburn/Estevan/Carlyle, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Yorkton, North Battleford, Lloydminster and Meadow Lake.

Main Findings from Canadian Outcome Evaluation Studies

To date, community feedback has taken the form of enthusiastic uptake of the BPRC approach and its “showcase” community model in Prince Albert.

Cost Information

The government provided funding in the amount of $478,000 (2014-15) for Community Mobilization Prince Albert (CMPA) to support the work of the COR, which provides research and analysis to mobilize resources to address longer term systemic issues, gaps and challenges.  Funding for a second regional COR in Saskatoon was allocated but is on hold pending a COR model review.

References

Ministry of Justice, Corrections and Policing – Community Safety Outcomes and Corporate Supports.

For more information on this program, contact:

Ministry of Justice, Corrections and Policing
600-1874 Scarth Street
Regina, Saskatchewan S4R 4B3
Telephone:  (306)798-1051
E-mail:  matthew.gray@gov.sk.ca